Look to Federal Contractors for Job Opportunities
Wondering what types of companies are most interested in hiring veterans? The answer: Federal government contractors and sub-contractors. Not just the obvious suspects like big defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon and General Dynamics -- consider any firm that could possibly have a Federal government contract or subcontract.
You name it, the "Federal Contractor 100" list, compiled each year by WashingtonTechnology.com, includes companies in a variety of sectors like communications, consulting, engineering, technology hardware and software manufacturers, professional services, information technology and systems integrations services, international development, and research firms. Beyond these, many other large companies from Ford and Chrysler to Caterpillar and Hertz have contracts with the Federal government. All of these companies should be highly motivated to hire vets. Here's why:
"Unless their contracts are very small, most government contractors must file a VETS-100 or -100A form to report how many veterans they employ, have hired or interviewed," says Lisa Rosser, the founder of "The Value of a Veteran: The Guide for Human Resource Professionals to Regarding, Recruiting, and Retaining Military Veterans." Specifically, according to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) website, contractors or subcontractors with a contract or subcontract of $100,000 or more awarded or modified on or after December 1, 2003, are required under the OFCCP to provide information on veteran hiring.
While these rules have been in effect for some time, Rosser says that it has only been within the last couple of years that federal contractors have begun to be scrutinized for not meeting requirements to recruit and hire veterans. The Department of Labor is looking into ways to put more teeth behind these requirements, says Rosser, a consultant, author, speaker, blogger and workshop leader. She is on a mission to help organizations improve their veteran recruiting and retention. She says there's a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to impose penalties on companies that don't comply or fail to show progress in their veteran-hiring practices. While nothing has been finalized, the wheels are churning and more federal contractors are seeking ways to attract and hire more vets.
It would behoove veterans looking for job opportunities to seek out the government contractors. While information on government contractors isn't always easy to find, Rosser says that local veteran employment reps and state workforce offices should have information on federal contractors in their local area. It's supposed to be a fairly automated process.
"Part of the challenge for vets is if the workforce offices don't have the information, it can be an arduous process to get it," notes Rosser. She recommends going through the Small Business Administration's database and query and filter the data for companies with federal contracts.